


Pick Up the Paint Can

by thoseraybansdoe



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, F/M, This is going to be cheesy, angsty, artsy lesbian meets sporty lesbian, but sweet at the same time, i guess that's it, i mean who doesn't want that, it's okay tho they're seniors, or should i say teenage angst, peridot with a messy bun, sassy and caring steven too pure for this world, the gems are in human form btw, uhm what else
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-24
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-11-04 07:36:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10986387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thoseraybansdoe/pseuds/thoseraybansdoe
Summary: Peridot couldn't be more excited for her senior year of high school. It was the year she had anticipated ever since she was a freshman, wondering if it would be the perfect ending to her whole high school career.But of course her biggest rival, Lapis lazuli, is probably going to ruin it all.Like every single year in the past...Will this year be any different? Peridot can only dream...





	1. Chapter 1

"Fuck,"

Peridot whispered to herself as she entered the crowded classroom. She spotted a familiar face through her round wired glasses, and she immediately came to the conclusion that she didn't want to look at that face for the rest of her senior year.

Lapis Lazuli.

The first day of school literally just started, and Lapis had to be in the same English class as her. And with her luck, the last chair vacant is the one next to the blue haired student.

"Well, well if it isn't PeriDORK." Lapis emphasized the last syllable after seeing Peridot sit right next to her chair.

"Lazuli," the blonde acknowledged with an eye roll.

"What do you know, the day hasn't even started and we have a class together. I bet you like that, huh."

"I'd rather drink expired whole milk than be happy with the likes of you right next to me!" Peridot came up with the best response she could think of, and this seemed perfect since the blonde is lactose intolerant. What better way to compare someone with something that can actually kill you, Peridot thought.

"Ouch," Lapis smirked mischievously. "Well, you'll bite back those words after I become valedictorian this year."

"Pfft, dream on Lapis. I've always been rank one, while you've always been rank two since freshman year. What makes you think our senior year will be any different?"

"Extracurriculars, Peridot. I've got all that lined up, and you only got what, doodles?" Lapis bit back, knowing that calling Peridot's artworks as doodles would definitely hit hard right in the core.

And she was right.

Peridot wanted to slap Lapis at that moment, but as much as she hated to admit it, she did have a point.

As much as she loved making art and participating in district wide art UILs, her high school was never supportive of the fine arts. Whether it was dance, theatre, choir, or musicals, the administrators didn't bother to take a second look to cheer them on during competitions. Maybe the fine arts department did get a little spotlight on the morning announcements, but that's really it. Not to mention, there had been humors that the school was budget cutting fine arts programs in order to give more money to athletics-- Lapis' specialty.

Oh how much she despised the softball player-slash-cross country runner. She remembered all the many reasons why, as clear as a sunny day.

It all started back in fourth grade.

Peridot, the enthusiastic blonde, and positive ten year old was always at the top of her game.

And by game, it mostly meant academics.

She would always get the highest scores out of all her classes, participated in every school competition (excluding sports), winning in every said school competition, while also maintaining a perfect attendance record since pre-K, and was very renowned for her artistic skills. 

Over-all, Peridot was the all around student you see in movies that everyone absolutely adored and looked up to. 

But then came a new student in class.

Lapis Lazuli possessed many similar traits that Peridot had-- getting good grades, participated in school contests, perfect attendance, and even being the top one at her previous school. The only difference is that Lapis was really good at extracurriculars. And by extracurriculars, she meant sports. And by sports, it meant everyone loved that more than painting and drawing.

The short blonde started to become very competitive against the new student, reaching its peak during middle school. 

She tried so hard to be in every club and class Lapis was in, making sure to get an officer position, or to get the highest grade, so that she could shove it in front of the girl's face. Then there was a time when her blue eyed nemesis tried out for the softball team in seventh grade. 

Yes, Lapis Lazuli got in; there was no doubt about it. 

Peridot tried out as well to prove a point, but all the balls kept flying out of control when she tried to pitch or bat. Probably out of sympathy, the coach encouraged her to try out again during eighth grade, but she knew if she wanted to prevent her glasses from breaking, or to keep her dignity, trying out was not an option anymore. She came to accept the fact that the one thing she could never beat Lapis at, was sports.

Lapis wasn't oblivious to Peridot's efforts to compete against her either. She first noticed in fifth grade when the short girl would give her death glares every time she got a better grade than her. She didn't think any of it at first, until Peridot called her a _clod_ back in sixth grade when Lapis won the 'Best in Participation Award' in their math class.

It didn't really bother the softball player, in fact the moment was actually pretty hilarious. After that, something about making fun and throwing sarcastic comments at Peridot made all of her days as a student. There were times when she would purposely go on a detour trip to her classes that were in completely opposite directions from Peridot's, just to catch a glimpse and annoy the artist in the hallways. The green eyed blonde always came up with some of the best responses, creating a battle of who could throw out the best comebacks. 

Soon enough, everyone at their high school knew about their competitions. It became really serious when students made money bets on who took the title of Rank One in academics every year. Peridot supporters were pretty loyal with all their constant wins, while Lapis supporters were on and off. Even the teachers talked about it, creating more hype now that the two entered their senior year.

"I'll let you know Lazuli, I'm trying so hard not to slap you right now." Peridot continued the conversation when she snapped out of her flashbacks, and came to realize she hasn't responded to Lapis' insults to the arts.

Lapis' blue eyes turned to Peridot, with that familiar hint of intimidation and slyness. "Oh wow Peridot, I never thought you'd be so kinky."

Peridot's glasses almost fell from her blushing face when she was thrown aback with the girl's response. She **hated** that word with a passion, ever since one of her friends dragged her to go watch the _Fifty Shades of Grey_ movie when it came out. Which, she entirely regretted her decision when she agreed to go!

But before she could respond, their English IV teacher stood up from his huge rectangular wooden desk, and walked up to the front to start class.

Lapis gave her that signature wink, signifying she won this round.

 _Fuck you,_ Peridot screamed inside her thoughts.

It has only just begun.

* * *

"Three," Peridot held up three of her fingers. 

"I have three classes with her this year! What the clodency is going on?! I can't believe my senior year is going to be terrible, Steven. It's supposed to be the best year of high school, they said. It's the best way to end the bittersweet memories of all four years, they said... BUT NO, she just had to ruin everything!" 

"Okay first of all, 'clodency' isn't a real word," Steven, a senior boy with dark curly hair-- who also happened to be one of Peridot's best friends, held up imaginary quotation marks emphasizing her made up word. He has known her for about four years now, and he picks up on the small things she does, like the tendency to blabber out jibberish when she was frustrated.

He then continued, "second, senior year barely just started and a lot of things can happen within a year. And third, don't act like you don't love it when Lapis teases you--"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" The blonde growled.

Steven kind of regretted mentioning the third point a little, as he can feel Peridot's eyes pierce right through him underneath her glasses. "Y-you know what I mean."

"Clearly I don't! There's not a speck of love that I feel towards that girl! I hate her! I hate it when she does that thing with her lips when she forms a smirk. I hate how she thinks she's the bees knees just because she's so tall and fit. I hate the way her messy blue hair bounces when she walks! And don't even get me started with her eyes! They're so dark blue, it's annoying! Who has blue eyes that dark? Ugh! I hate her so much!"

"Peridot, please. Do you even hear yourself right now? You don't make sense at all, cause it seems like you're describing every single thing you love about her, but you replaced _love_ , with the word _hate_." The boy took a bite out of one of the fries on his lunch tray, squinting suspicious eyes at her.

"I swear to god, if you keep saying that, I'll tell Connie you're secretly in love with her."

Steven put the fry down. "That's not fair."

Peridot crossed her arms proudly, knowing that statement would get Steven's mind out of the topic. Since sophomore year, the boy had the longest crush on their class president, Connie Maheswaran. Lucky for him, Peridot knew her because she was the vice president, and Connie was also in every AP college dual class she has been in. She actually introduced both of them to each other, and the two became close friends ever since.

It was quite obvious that Connie was into him as well, but Steven never really caught on to the hints and the signals. He was too busy trying to act normal, making it seem that all he and Connie had was something platonic. It annoyed Peridot a lot, especially when his desperate actions turn into awkward moments.

"When exactly are you going to tell her yourself, though?"

"I don't know," Steven frowned. "What if she doesn't like me back?"

"You really are oblivious."

Before Steven could reply and ask what the blonde meant, a girl with purple streaks in her long brown wavy hair came up behind him with a hug.

"Amethyst!" Steven and Peridot chorused happily at the sight of their other best friend.

"Hey hey hey y'all! How was summer?"

"Didn't we all just spend our whole summer together?" Peridot replied for her and Steven, with a brow raised.

"Well shit, I guess you can't stop being a sarcastic ass for just one second, huh P-dot." Completely used to her bestie's actions, Amethyst decided to play along and placed her hands on her hips, acting like she got offended.

"I wasn't even trying!"

"Well you're naturally good with it."

"Shut up, Amethyst!"

Steven laughed at the whole scenario in front of him. "Amethyst, if you still wanna get some food the line is pretty short right now."

"Oh, true!" The brunette went in line, and after getting food, she sat down right next to the brown eyed boy. "So what's the 411, y'all excited for our senior year?"

"I am, but Peridot-- not so much." Steven smiled and pointed at the girl sitting across from them.

"Let me guess," Amethyst smirked, knowing exactly what set the mood off for Peridot for the rest of the year. "Lapis?"

"Why does everyone think that Lazuli is the only thing that my life revolves around on?"

"Uhm, because she is? You're like, obsessed with her."

Steven decided to interject at this too. "See? I'm not the only one who noticed!"

"For y'all's information, **I AM NOT** obsessed with her."

"You're right, you're just strongly attracted to her... Ha!" 

Steven high-fived Amethyst excitedly when she gave Peridot that reply.

Those words took a toll on the blonde. There's no way in hell she would ever be attracted to Lapis, and if there was a slight chance she was, (which wasn't likely!) she would never ever do that to herself.

Lapis Lazuli meant nothing to her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First half is going to be some of Peridot's back story. And by back story, I mean her relationship with her parents. Second half is.... well like, high school stuff. 
> 
> Yeah, I think that's a good enough summary. Oh yeaaaahhhhhhh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! So here's chapter two of this story.
> 
> It's kinda long, but I feel like I should give you guys a little bit of information about Peri's parents. Keep in mind, they will play an important role as the story goes on. 
> 
> AND ALSO!! Thanks so much for reading chapter 1! I was not expecting for people to actually read this, to be honest. But omg I really appreciate it!! And thanks for all the feedback too!! Glad y'all like it so far!
> 
> Okay without further ado, I bring to you, CHAPTER 2!!!
> 
> (oh shiiit did that just rhyme?)

"Why are we even going grocery shopping, dad? It's too early." 

Peridot yawned in the process while sitting in the front seat of her dad's Silverado truck.

"Peridot, it's 11 am."

It didn't matter to the girl, because it was still a Saturday morning. The weekend was her days off from school and she cherished every minute of it, especially since she started her senior year. It seemed like every single one of her teachers were plotting to kill her nervous system, with all of the heavy homework load and in-class assignments. 

Not to mention, she had university applications to finish before the deadline on November.

The blonde already had colleges and universities offering her full ride scholarships, due to her academic excellence, participation in UILs, academic decathlons-- all that good stuff. Half of the schools were art schools, which she wouldn't mind actually going to, but she's had her eyes on one university since she was little.

The University of Texas at Austin. 

And being the rational and organized person she is, Peridot had three reasons as to why she wanted to attend that university.

A, UT Austin was approximately 79.7 miles away, with an hour drive from her home in San Antonio. Peridot had the tendency to get homesick quickly, so she figured with the distance, the possibility of visiting San Antonio in the weekends was favorable. B, her parents went to UT, and they would always tell her about their college stories, secret campus sanctuaries, and the infinite explorations a person could do in the city of Austin. And C, she wanted to major in architectural engineering, and UT's engineering programs were one of the best in her home state, so she figured that inevitably became the icing on top of the cake.

"Okay, but I was planning to sleep in dad. Didn't you and mom buy groceries three days ago?" Peridot raised an annoyed eyebrow, imagining how her bed was calling out to her right at this moment.

"If you must know, universities have already contacted me about their interests in signing my senior players. I'm inviting them one by one with their parents to talk about the offers." Her father smiled, his brown eyes gleaming with pure joy, as his daughter figured how proud he was for his senior varsity softball team. 

Oh yeah, did Peridot forgot to mention that he was also the high school's head softball coach?

Having him as the softball coach also meant that whenever the team finished a match, her dad would always have a barbecue dinner party at their house. And by default, Lapis was going to be there (being the batter and all). Peridot didn't mind at first, but obviously their whole bickering was getting out of hand, that one time they had to be split up by the other players.

So as the respectful daughter Peridot was, she decided to ignore Lapis the whole time and go upstairs to her room with her food. Amethyst and Steven would always accompany her, since they were also a part of the team-- Amethyst being the catcher, while Steven was the softball manager.

Peridot knew how important the team was to her father, and she didn't want his time with them to be cut limited.

She couldn't blame him, they are the best in the city of San Antonio after all. They've won against all the schools in district, and out of district. They even made it to finals in the state, but a school from Houston took the crown. It didn't matter though, they made it to the state finals, and that was an amazing achievement for their school.

Truth be told, no one really knew why Peridot's father was working at a high school. He played men's softball when he was in college, and it was official that he was going to get drafted into the professional USA team right after getting his Bachelor's degree.

But the week before graduation, he got her mother pregnant and decided that instead of heading out to the national team, he wanted to take up the responsibility of a father and a faithful boyfriend. So after receiving their diplomas, her parents got married and started a new life in San Antonio.

Sometimes Peridot felt bad, thinking that it was her fault that her dad's dreams were shattered. But he would always assure her, that having her and marrying her mother was the best dream a man could ever want. And nothing could ever beat that.

"I still don't know why I had to come, though?" Peridot still couldn't get over the fact that she could be asleep right now.

"Because in a few months, my daughter will be walking up the stage to get her diploma. And next thing you know, you'll be out of the house, moving on to college. I wanna make sure I get to spend as much time with you as possible, Peridot."

For the first time that morning, a huge smile crept up in Peridot's face. Her old man definitely knew how to make her feel better.

  


When they got home, the blonde noticed that her mother was nowhere in sight. It was strange, since she was usually in the kitchen on the weekends, baking her special pastries. It was her mother's unique way of rest and relaxation, after a week of working four straight days, of twelve hour night shifts in the hospital. 

Peridot's mother was a nurse at the gynecology ward, and despite being at work most of the time, they still manage to hang out and have a good time.

They were exactly alike--blonde hair, green eyes, short height (maybe she was a little taller than Peridot by three inches), and a flair for the arts. It's safe to say, that's probably where the girl got her talents from.

She and her mom have that special bonding time when they would go to local coffee shops, art galleries, underground unknown restaurants, and just talk about anything. She felt really comfortable opening up, and just telling her mom about her stresses, her problems, her happiness, and just everything! Her mom did so too, telling her about her adventures at work, and even sharing some sketches she drew when she went on breaks.

Out of nowhere, a loud honk brought her back to reality, thinking it was nothing. But the sound continued constantly, so she decided to go outside and see what was happening. 

As she opened the front door, a shiny Ford F-150 truck greeted her in the drive way. She spotted her mother's familiar blonde hair in the driver's seat, opening the door with keys twirling around her index finger.

"Surprise!!!!" Her mom got out, and suddenly from the garage, her dad popped the party poppers, as colorful confetti flew above her.

Peridot was in awe, she was shocked and so amazed at the same time, she felt like she was going to cry.

In about five seconds, she started crying. "Oh. My. Stars....is this..."

She ran to them and hugged her parents tightly. She couldn't believe that they got her a car-- and not just any car, it was a truck! It's been a long time since she wanted a car, but she never bothered to ask her parents for one. She had always planned to get one on her own when she finds a job, but as the beautiful, olive green, four door truck stood right in front of her, she had no words. 

"Wow," Peridot sniffed as the tears wouldn't stop. "Thanks. Thank you so much! I c-can't b-believe y'all got me a truck."

"Aww sweetie, don't cry, you deserve it. You work so hard in everything you do, and your father and I wanted to show you how proud we are." Her mom wiped the tears falling from her green eyes.

"And also, we were getting tired of you borrowing our cars." Her dad added jokingly, but ended up getting elbowed by his wife. "Haha, you know I'm kidding. We love you, Peri."

"I love y'all too."

* * *

That Monday, Peridot picked up Amethyst and Steven in her new vehicle, so that they could all go to school together. And damn were they impressed with her F-150!

"Girl, your whip is lit!" Amethyst kept examining the interior, from touching the leather seats to sniffing the air.

"Uhm could you stop doing that? You're like a drug addict."

"C'mon P-dot. Your truck has that new car smell, and you know how that turns people on."

"STOP."

"Fine, fine..." The short brunette replied, stretching her hands above her head and relaxed.

"Amethyst is right though, your car is amazing!" Steven complimented from the back seat. "Thanks again for giving us a ride to school."

"Anything for y'all."

Peridot was in fact, in a very good mood since she woke up. Usually she would be frowning and yawning, as you could tell she wasn't really a morning person. And of course, school for her in general was getting annoying due to having Lapis in her first three classes in the morning. Just last week, they had a major test in their AP Physics C class (the hardest of all high school physics classes), and they both competed on who would finish first with a perfect grade to top it off. It was very stressful, because that class was not a joke, and everyone was already struggling, including the two.

But their pride was too stubborn, so they ended up doing that challenge. As forty minutes passed, with five minutes left till class ended, Lapis and Peridot were sweating, writing as fast as they could. They reviewed all of their answers, making sure nothing was left out. Surprisingly, the two were the last ones out of the classroom, and they finished the test at the same time. And when the results came out the next day, their teacher was so happy to announce that they both got 98 percent, and were the highest in the class. It pretty much frustrated them both that neither one of them won their little competition.

Today was a new day to Peridot, though. She was very refreshed, with her blonde hair up in a messy bun, her glasses well adjusted on her face, and being with her friends, while cruising in her big 'ole truck made everything so much better.

As they approached the school parking lot, it wasn't as full as it usually was. They saw some empty spaces in the very back of the lot, but Peridot didn't want to walk far in going to class.

"There's one right there!" Steven pointed at a vacant spot in between two other cars in the front. 

Peridot immediately turned her blinker on, drove closer to the spot, when suddenly a blue Jeep came into view and quickly took it from her.

"WHAT THE CLOD---" Peridot slammed on the break so hard, that the two passengers almost flew out of their seats. 

The blonde knew exactly whom that Jeep belonged to, and she couldn't believe her hopes and dreams of having a good day at school was _ruined_ , by the same girl that ruined it for her in the first place.

Lapis.

Peridot put her truck on park, sealed the break, and made sure the hazard button was activated-- just in case other cars were going to pass by. She got out of the truck, and stomped her way to the Jeep. She wanted to confront Lapis about what had just happened, and she wasn't about to wait 'til first period.

Steven and Amethyst got out of the vehicle and followed her, making sure nothing bad was going to happen. They didn't want Peridot to get in trouble, and end up getting her good class standing affected. 

Lapis finally came into the picture when she got out of her car, and Peridot couldn't hold in her anger anymore.

"LaZULI!!!"

The blue haired girl saw her, and raised a brow. "Can I help you?"

"YOU TOOK MY SPOT!" Peridot continued, "I SAW IT FIRST!"

Lapis was a bit confused at first, but when she noticed the huge, green truck behind the trio, it all clicked. "Hold on, you have a truck? I thought you rode with Coach to school."

"Yes! I have my own car now, and if you don't get out of that spot and move your dumb Jeep somewhere else, I WILL ANNIHILATE YOU."

After what seemed like a forever of silence, Lapis started to snort and laugh maniacally. She laughed so much, that her insides started to hurt.

"Holy shit, _annihilate_ me? Jesus Christ, Peridot. And I can't believe you drove that thing! You, and your short legs? How did you even get your foot to reach the pedal???"

Okay, so you know those moments in reality TV shows where someone said something insulting, and the rest of the others would have their mouths wide open, with that expression of complete shock and disgust? 

Well, yeah that's exactly what happened right here.

"That's rude, who do you think you are?! Apologize to her right now!" Steven defended, annoyed at what Lapis just said to his best friend.

"I don't think I owe anyone, any apology. For starters, I don't see Peridot's name anywhere in this spot, so I have every right to park here."

"But you clearly saw her coming with her blinker on! That's a dick move, Lapis." Amethyst added, also supporting Peridot. It didn't matter to her if Lapis was her team mate in softball. The blonde was her best friend, and she was the priority above everyone else. 

"Dick move? Ha, as if! Out of all people, she should know that if she snoozes, she loses." Lapis eyed Peridot, and in that moment their eyes came in contact.

But this time, something was different about it. There was no hint of hatred or intimidation present, it was just green and blue, colliding. It felt like nothing, but at the same time it was everything. Lapis didn't know what it was, nor could she figure out how to describe it. 

It was just, there.

Which led to her blue eyes breaking the gaze first. She tried her best to stop thinking about that sensation, but she couldn't. 

All the softball player could do, was mask it. 

"I certainly hope 'snoozing' won't be your attitude for the whole year, Peridot. 'Cause if it is, then your making it too easy for me."

As she walked away, Lapis couldn't help but wonder if the blonde felt it too.

  


Obviously she was still mad at Lapis for stealing the parking spot, but she managed to avoid her during first, and second period. 

On a normal school day, morning announcements happened in first period, but this time it happened in third period, which kind of brought a lot of curious attention. But Peridot didn't really care, she just wanted the day to be over already. 

She wanted to go home, lie down, and cry about all the repressed anger and sadness she felt after Lapis insulted her. Thankfully, Steven and Amethyst had her back during that whole escapade. She felt so dumb, so weak, and so helpless for not defending herself. She just stood there, quiet--not even one response. 

She usually had a witty reply, but this time she wasn't able to think. She was too caught up with having a good time, believing she could make it through the day with no negativity.

Oh how wrong she was.

Peridot wanted to graduate high school already; she had enough of all this bullshit. Surely, nothing was going to make her day worse.

_Good morning students, here are your morning announcements..._

The blonde was too caught up with her thoughts, she didn't catch on to what the principal was saying. And honestly, she didn't care.

_... and if you're staying late for tutoring, there will be late buses that will run from 5 pm to 5:30 pm. Now here is Ms. Connie Maheswaran, your senior class president, to announce the nominees for this year's homecoming court._

Peridot made a mental eye roll at hearing the word. She totally forgot about homecoming, even though being the class vice-president came with an obligation to go every year and help out with decorations. Luckily for her, she got to skip counting all the nominations, since Connie and the other officers volunteered to do it if she made the school a huge homecoming banner.

Yes, that's one of the advantages of being an artist, and she will use it every chance she gets.

Connie was pretty much done with announcing the nominees for homecoming king, and all the seniors in the classroom were getting rowdy and excited. 

_...and here are your five nominees for homecoming queen: Sadie Miller,_

The class clapped and cheered as they heard Sadie's name, and even Peridot. She knew Sadie, due to also being a member of the Academic Decathlon team.

_...Jenny Pizza,_

The class cheered again, anticipating the next name.

_...Kiki Pizza,_

"Ohhh!!!" Everyone chorused with enthusiasm when the twins got mentioned on the list. Peridot had to admit, the nominees were amazing so far.

_...Lapis Lazuli,_

Oh never mind, Peridot took that back. But Lapis was in the same class at the moment, and everyone praised her, and congratulated her. The softball player actually looked really cute when she grinned and blushed at their applause.

Wait, did the artist's brain really hypothesize that Lapis Lazuli was cute?! Peridot wanted to go to a brain surgeon as soon as possible, to have her brain removed from her body. How dare it utter foul words, she was supposed to be mad at her right now! 

_...and last but definitely not the least, Peridot Olivine!_

Upon hearing her own name, Peridot's first reaction was to look at the PA system in disbelief. Did Connie really just say that? She was waiting... Waiting for Connie to say it was a joke--A JOKE! 

But all she could hear were the sounds her classmates generated, with their shouts of joy and claps. Peridot looked around the room, and everyone was smiling at her, supporting her, and cheering for her.

Finally, her eyes landed on Lapis.

Lapis was clapping her hands as well, with that playful smirk on her face--the same smirk the blonde hated so much. 

And that could only mean one thing: another competition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all!
> 
> Thanks again for reading chapter 2. I know it's long and boring, but I swear chapter 3 will get more exciting.
> 
> Thank you as well for the support and the reads. Make sure to leave comments and critiques--it'll really help me improve my writing. 
> 
> You guys are awesome!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aside from homecoming court nominations, it was also the week where Peridot's father was hosting dinners to talk to the senior players on the team.
> 
> You know where this is going...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Okay so thanks again for reading the story, I really appreciate it. As far as updating goes, I don't really have a consistent schedule, cause I am studying for like a HUGE exam... But don't worry though, I will keep continuing.
> 
> So here's chapter 3, hope y'all like it.

4:05 pm.

School had just ended for the day, but there was a Student Council meeting afterwards.

Meaning, Peridot had to stay back for another thirty minutes, while Steven and Amethyst waited for her. 

The two decided to wait for her at the school's courtyard, right outside the building where Student Council usually had their meetings. Amethyst texted Peridot that they would be sitting on a bench underneath a big tree, giving them shade.

It was the perfect spot where the two could sit back, relax, and reminisce the good old days of being underclassmen.

"So, are you gonna ask Connie to homecoming?" Amethyst turned to Steven, patiently hoping he will finally do something about his three year crush on the class president. 

It took a while, but Steven avoided eye contact. "I don't know."

"C'mon Steveiooh, it's been three years. And y'all have been friends for that long too, it's not gonna be awkward."

"Yeah, but it'll still be awkward if she rejected me."

"Stop being so negative," Amethyst scooted closer to the boy, and placed a hand on his shoulder to assure him. "You won't know until you try."

Steven sighed, finally looking at the girl's face for the first time in this conversation. "I know, but I'm just scared. Connie means so much to me, and I don't want my feelings to get in the way of our friendship."

When Steven first saw Connie in the hallways of William Dewey High School, he immediately wanted to get to know her more. It was during the first day of sophomore year when he saw her by the lockers, while she was grabbing her books. He didn't know if she was in the same grade as he was, but he admired her from afar. 

The second week of sophomore year came by, and Steven was with Amethyst and Peridot. They walked together, despite being not in the same classes, just to hang out and catch up before the bell rang. The trio passed by the same facade of lockers, and voila, the girl was there!

The boy suddenly became nervous, and stopped his tracks. The blonde and the brunette were curious as to why he halted, but he immediately told them he thought the girl by the lockers was cute.

To his luck, Peridot recognized her as one of her classmates in Algebra II Pre-AP. She introduced the two, and that's how Steven and Connie became friends.

He asked for her number, and they have been texting nonstop--just talking about the most random things. The two had similar interests; they played musical instruments, they loved the same book series, TV shows, movies, and even when they had differences, it balanced them out perfectly.

It was during their junior year when they started to hang out, and do things together. Whether it was going to the movies to watch the new Dogcopter film, driving his dad's van to book signings, or cooling down from the Texas sun in the waterpark.

Steven didn't want to lose all that, just because of his silly feelings. That's the only thing that's holding him back.

"That won't happen," Amethyst's voice filled his ears. "Connie values your friendship too, and I can tell she cares a lot about you. And that's not just me! Try asking Peri, Garnet, or even Pearl."

Steven smiled at the brunette's encouragement. _Maybe Amethyst was right._

"Just... just ask her. It's our senior year, what have you got to lose?"

"Alright, I'll do it--"

"Ohhh yeahhh!!" Amethyst fist bumped the air, finally excited that her and Peri's ship was about to sail.

"--if you ask Pearl to go with you."

That definitely took her off guard.

"W-what?!" 

"Yeah, you heard me, Amethyst."

Now, the story between Amethyst and Pearl is actually quite interesting. 

The two have known each other since they were little, due to their parents being close friends. Although, their friendship didn't exactly go smoothly in the beginning. They've been known to fight and argue a lot when their parents would let them spend time together, and the differences they shared didn't help either. Pearl was mostly all minimal with a mix of grace and organization, while Amethyst was adventurous, daring, and extemporaneous.

But ever since they found common ground in softball, they've become really good friends.

They even supported the things that made them hate each other in the first place.

Amethyst would go to all of Pearl's ballet recitals, musicals, and choir concerts; while Pearl would go on all the thrilling escapades Amethyst was interested in--paintball, bungee jumping, and/or driving out to haunted places for supernatural investigations. 

BUT the moment she realized she was super into Pearl, was in eight grade. Amethyst's parents picked them up from softball practice, with their bodies so sore, that they decided to just have a sleepover in Amethyst's room. 

They talked for hours and hours, not caring about the time, or what they were doing. They lay on top of her bed, without moving their bodies. The room was dark, but at the same time, peaceful. 

It was a moment Amethyst treasured, and could never forget.

"Steven, I don't think so. It's going to be weird if I asked her." She could picture Pearl's face in horror, telling her that she was just like a sister to her... UGH, and nothing sucked more than being sisterzoned.

"Like you said, you never know unless you try."

"I'm not even sure if Pearl even thinks of me like that! I'm probably just a close friend to her."

"Amethyst, how do you even know that?" Now it was Steven's turn to put some sense into Amethyst's brain. "For all we know, she probably feels the same way."

She didn't reply, still doubtful about what Steven is trying to get her to do. 

The boy offered his hand for a shake, to make it official. "So, do we have a deal?"

"Fine, deal." Amethyst shrugged and shook his hand. She might not show it, but deep down her nerves are already building up.

Suddenly, Peridot came out of the doors of the building, with her usual annoyed expression.

"There she is! William Dewey High School's Homecoming Queen!" Amethyst stood up from the bench, and bowed down before the blonde.

"Congrats on the nomination, Peri!

Steven flicked his finger guns at her with a wink.

Peridot rolled her eyes, still frustrated at the fact that she was a nominee. She couldn't believe she had to compete against Lapis for Homecoming Queen. Just mentioning the word _homecoming_ , made her tongue jump out from her mouth out disgust. She hated everything about it--the football game, the PEP rallies, the mums, the dance---EVERYTHING.

She wanted to step down and cancel her nomination, but Connie told her that would be against school rules. And Peridot wasn't about that life, at all. She wasn't about to risk her vice-president position, and her academic conduct standing.

After all, it was still a competition, and she couldn't let Lapis get away so easily with a victory.

* * *

For that whole week, Peridot's house seemed restless due to all the guests coming each night.

Her father invited each of the seniors in the softball team, along with their parents, to the special dinner he had every year. It was the season when colleges and universities offer potential candidates, full ride scholarships to be in their teams.

The whole ordeal was probably going to take about two weeks, since there were eight seniors on the varsity team.

Everything went great so far; there were tears of joy here and there, loud screams of excitement, and even a few declines.

Pearl was one of the players to decline, since she decided to leave her softball career behind. She wanted to pursue medicine, meaning, sports and play were unquestionably out of the picture.

There was also the mysterious yet mystical Garnet, who declined four offers. She already found a university in California that had the psychology program she wanted, along with a paid internship at a research center.

Yesterday was Amethyst's turn, and there were three schools that competed for her affection. One of them was Texas A&M College Station-- her ultimate dream school. She instantly without a doubt, chose to sign with A&M, not bothering to look at the other two colleges.

It's safe to say peri was really happy and proud of her bestie, especially when the school of dreams wanted her too .

 

Thank God it's Friday!

Actually, no.

Today was Lapis' turn, and Peridot wasn't ecstatic about having to sit through and have dinner with that girl. Although, she was a bit intrigued on what schools had offers for her. The blonde wouldn't be surprised if Lapis had ten offers. She was after all, the MVP two years in a row.

When she got home from school, the blonde went straight to helping her parents set up the food. It was the usual homemade country fried steak, with white gravy and mashed potatoes. Her mother also managed to make some of her tasty butter rolls, and famous carrot cake. The meal wouldn't be complete without her dad's home brewed sweet tea.

Peridot's mouth was already watering, but she knew she had to wait before she got her hands on the _food_.

After preparing everything, she decided to wash up before the guests arrived. There wasn't really a dress code for these dinners her dad hosted, so she went with her usual cropped leggings, and a simple essential tee with a tiny alien head on the pocket. Her hair was in no doubt, getting longer, so she decided to put it up again on a bun. 

"Peridot, can I talk to you for a minute?" Her father asked when he saw her coming down the stairs.

"Yeah, what's up dad?"

He sighed, and pulled his dark hair back with his hand. A clear sign that he was nervous.

"I know that you and Lapis don't...really..."

He paused, trying to find the right words.

"...I guess, y'all don't agree on the same things."

Peridot raised a brow. "Okay, and?"

"Well, this dinner is for her and her parents. So all I'm asking is if you...you know..."

"What, dad?"

"Tolerate her? Just this once?"

"What do you mean, _just this once_? I for one, can tolerate her! She on the other hand, can't learn to tolerate. She can't even tolerate herself!" Peridot started to get all defensive, upon hearing her father's request.

"See? This is what I mean. I want you to stop overreacting whenever Lapis says something or when she just sits and breathes."

"What if she says something on purpose to piss me off??"

"Then hold it in for two hours, then fight back after dinner. OR excuse yourself to go to the bathroom to scream. Make sure to go to the one upstairs, so that no one can hear you."

Peridot stared at him for the longest time, bewildered that her father had just given her pep talk before encountering Lapis.

Was it really that bad? Does she really overreact too much?

"Fine, but only for today."

When the Lazulis arrived, Peridot made sure to greet them, even giving Lapis a really small, distinct smile. As they sat on the dinner table, Peridot examined all three of them, without being obvious, of course.

This wasn't the first time she saw Mr and Mrs Lazuli, but this was the closest view she has seen of them. They were always in a distance view from her, since they were only present in Lapis' games, tournaments, and award ceremonies. 

Lapis Lazuli had shared features from both of her parents; from her mother's soft wavy hair, blue eyes, and smile, to her father's sculpted cheekbones and height. The only thing that's different is that her parents had brown hair, while Lapis dyed hers a dark blue.

No wonder she was so attractive, she had equally attractive parents that gave her the perfect genes.

Peridot had to mentally slap herself for thinking Lapis was attractive...uhm NO.

That was definitely a strike one, before she went to the bathroom to scream. Two more strikes, and she'll jump right out of her chair and run to the bathroom with no words said.

Everything was going steadily so far, there were no death glares, smirks, arguments, and comebacks.

Peridot was very proud of herself for tolerating Lapis, completely proving her father wrong on his assumptions that she didn't have any chill. Lapis in turn, was actually very calm, even in times when their eyes would accidentally meet.

After dessert, the blonde's father finally brought up the topic about the schools. This is when the whole dining room was quiet, anticipating the list.

"Okay Lapis, there are _six_ universities that have reached out, wanting you to consider their offers. We have the University of Florida, Texas A &M, Baylor University, the University of Alabama, UCLA, and lastly, the University of Oregon!"

Everyone in table clapped for the blue eyed girl, especially her parents. It was so obvious how proud they were, especially when most of the schools were out of state. Peridot herself couldn't believe that all these amazing schools were so interested in Lapis. For sure, the softball player is going to have a hard time deciding which university to go to.

"That's just, incredible. Thank you Coach!" Lapis grinned, very happy with all the offers. "I don't even know what to pick..."

"Don't worry, you have up until February to decide." Peridot's father handed her all of the six packets from each school, and gave her a thumbs up.

* * *

Peridot did not expect this dinner to last longer than two hours. 

Even after announcing the universities to Lapis, both of their parents still managed to stay to talk about...everything. It got to the point that the blonde got really bored, and decided to head upstairs to the bathroom to wash her sleepy face.

As she was wiping her face with a towel, the bathroom door suddenly opened.

"AHHH! IT'S OCCUPIED!" Peridot covered her face with the piece of cloth.

"Well you should've locked it, dork."

Peridot recognized that voice right away. "Lapis?! Get out! I'm still here!"

"Shhhh! can you stop screaming for like, five seconds?"

Lapis covered her mouth with her hand.

When she nodded, the taller girl removed her hand, but hasn't left. Instead, Lapis closed the door behind them and locked it.

"Uhm, I'm not sure if you know what occupied means, but I'd really appreciate it if you leave?"

"I'll leave you, if you answer my question."

Peridot squinted her green eyes, suspicious at what the softball player had to ask. "Go ahead."

"Do you wanna go to homecoming with me?"

The shorter girl had to do a double take at Lapis' question. Did she really just ask her to homecoming?? Was she serious??? And really, she had to ask in the bathroom? How romantic.

"Haha, very funny. You can get out now." Peridot tried to push her towards the door, but Lapis was too strong to even move an inch. 

"It wasn't a joke." Lapis inched closer to Peridot, leading the blonde's back to hit the sink, with the taller girl's body inches away from hers.

"W-what if I said I wasn't interested?" Peridot tried so hard not to stare at Lapis' blue eyes at that point.

The blue haired girl inched closer, the heat from their bodies getting warmer and warmer. "Then I'd ask you, why."

"It's because..." Peridot gulped, _was Lapis wearing a crop top this whole time? Cause holy damn, her stomach is so defined..BRAIN NO! NOT NOW!_. "...it's because I hate you."

"Why do you hate me?" 

In this exact moment, the gap between the two has closed, with Lapis' arms resting on the sink counter, completely surrounding Peridot. The artist couldn't help but blush a bright red on her cheeks. She was trying to figure out how on earth this was even happening, and how is it that she couldn't move away. 

"B-because you're a bitch! You're mean, and you're a jerk!"

For the first time that night, Lapis gave her that mischievous smirk she hated. "You started it, Peridot. You started this whole thing when we were in middle school." Suddenly, she bent down a little and whispered huskily at the shorter girl's ear. "I'm just playing along."

Shivers came running down Peridot's neck as Lapis' breath touched her skin. That sensation was alien to her, but it completely emulsified her core... If only Lapis could keep doing that, over and over again...

Sensing Peridot's interest, Lapis continued to whisper into her ear. "Would you hate me even more, if I kissed you?"

The blonde's green eyes immediately closed, trying to sink all of that in, making sure that sensation stayed with her forever. She tried to maintain her balance, but her legs were getting weaker and weaker every time Lapis kept talking to her like that.

_Fuck,_

Lapis was completely in awe of Peridot right now. The blonde looked so hot with her eyes closed like that, her lips slightly open, just waiting to be devoured. And the goosebumps that appeared all over her pale neck, was the perfect canvas Lapis was ready to make her mark in.

Who knew Peridot could turn her on so much.

"Fuck, just kiss me now, Lapis!" The blonde's hands cupped Lapis cheeks, and connected their lips together. She was a bit surprised at Peridot's sudden boldness, but eventually gave in and succumbed to the feeling.

The moment their lips touched, Peridot loved how soft Lapis' lips were. She could taste a hint of cherry, making the experience extra savory.

At first, it was slow and gentle, as the two were trying to figure out what was actually going on. But as they found comfort, the kiss turned rapid and intense. The desire grew even more, as lapis lifted Peridot up, and sat her down on the counter of the sink, in order to get fully deeper inside her mouth. Peridot wrapped her arms around the taller girl's neck, giving lapis the access she wanted. It was then that their kiss got hungrier, and as Peridot moaned into her mouth, Lapis decided to change things up a bit and explore the shorter girl's neck. With every kiss she left, she took in Peridot's sweet scent of lavender. 

"L-Lapis...oh my s-stars..."

"Peridot? Lapis? Are y'all up there??" 

Upon hearing Peridot's father call their names from downstairs, the two immediately separated their bodies. They both tried to fix each other's wrinkled clothes, messy hair, and basically anything out of the ordinary.

When Lapis was about to go home, she gave Peridot one last smile before the night ended. "Goodnight, I'll see you on Monday."

"S-see yah.." The artist replied, still processing the events that had happened.

That night, none of the two could fall asleep. And the only thing that kept them up and thinking, was the kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOOOOO SO THAT HAPPENED...
> 
> Stay tuned...


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheesy and a filler.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> It's been a while, I know. I'm sorry for not being able to update consistently, I just took that huge test I had to prepare for. But now I'm back!
> 
> Thank you again for reading this story, I hope chapter 4 is okay.
> 
> It's not really much, but there is a new character.

"You kissed Lapis?!" 

The volume of Amethyst's appalled voice vibrated Peridot's phone. 

"As in, the same Lapis you said you hated with a passion, and didn't care about in any way, shape, or form?" 

The blonde rolled her eyes at the other girl's sarcastic question, quite guilty of herself as she did mention that before. 

Peridot couldn't believe it either, she had no idea what took over her that Friday night. While it's true that Lapis had started that whole situation with her obvious flirtations in the bathroom, she was the one who locked both of their lips together. 

Recalling that situation made the girl's cheeks burn, "Will you please focus, Amethyst?! I have a class with her early in the morning tomorrow, and I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!" 

"Hmm, let me think," the brunette paused for a brief moment on the other line, trying to think of ideas for Peridot's plan of action. But that wasn't really successful. "Well, she did steal your first kiss, I can't imagine how hard it probably is for you to stay calm." 

"Gee, I wonder how you figured that out, captain obvious." 

"Look, this isn't a simple situation, alright? This is Lapis Lazuli we're talking about, she isn't exactly the most expressive person in the planet." 

Before Peridot could respond, Amethyst beat her to it. 

"Actually I take that back, she's actually very expressive when it comes to teasing and fighting with you." 

"You know what, maybe I should just avoid talking to her. Yeah, she probably forgot about the whole thing by now, I mean, it's been two days already. The kiss obviously left her mind!" 

"NO! Don’t you dare leave her hanging, Peri. I'm pretty sure Lapis hasn't forgotten about y'alls little smooch escapade. From what you describe, how could she just let go of everything when she kissed not only your mouth, but your neck. You two were probably gon' hit third base if your dad hadn't called out for y'all." 

"CAN YOU PLEASE STOP." Peridot had enough of this conversation, deciding that figuring things out was not the best thing to do right now.

Amethyst laughed loudly, breaking Peridot's eardrum in half. "But seriously though just act normal, don't act all awkward, and don't try to 'ghost' her. Nothing hurts more than finding out someone had just lead you on."

* * *

Monday morning...

It took Peridot a while, and maybe a physical push from Steven and Amethyst to get inside her first period classroom.

She dreaded going to English class, because she knew Lapis would already be inside. The taller girl was usually always there before she was.

And she was right.

As her mass transferred from the outside hall to the inside, the blue haired beauty was already seated in her spot.

And her dark blue eyes never left Peridot. 

Peridot swallowed hard, nervously walking towards her seat next to Lapis. She had to repeat her mantra to stay as chill as possible while engaging in conversation with the girl. 

"Hi Peri," Lapis greeted with a soft smile, which surprised Peridot. It wasn't her usual smug smirk this time, and it was unusual for the blonde to see Lapis produce such a gentle emotion towards her. 

"G-g-greetings!" 

Yup, that was definitely _NOT_ an awkward response... Her mantra of staying chill is a guaranteed 100 percent help! 

Peridot had to remember to choke herself later at home for that. Who in this day and age still says the word, 'greetings'?! 

"So I was thinking, do you mind if I walk you to class next period?" Lapis looked at the shorter girl with her head tilted and resting in the palm of her hand, very hopeful at the anticipated response. 

"Lapis, you do know we have second period together, right?" 

She snorted with a little laugh, "Haha, yeah I know. Well I feel like we have a lot to talk about." 

Peridot definitely agreed, and left the conversation with a nod. 

After their English class, the two came out of the classroom together, side by side. A number of students actually noticed, and were intrigued that Lapis and Peridot weren't arguing. This sparked a lot of whispers and speculations, but the two concentrated with their own conversation that they didn't care to think about anything else. 

"So, about last Friday..." Lapis started, as the pair made their way to the second floor for their next class. 

"I'm sorry." 

Lapis turned to the shorter girl, trying to figure why she would apologize for such an amazing experience she brought to her body. "What?" 

"I'm sorry that I kissed you that night. I pushed it too far when I-- 

"When you grabbed my face, and hogged my mouth with yours?" 

Peridot stopped her tracks and covered her blushing face with her hands. She still could not fathom how she had the guts to do that... 

But in all honesty though, it wasn't completely her fault. Lapis started everything, which ignited a catalyst within her to do it. Who was she kidding though, she liked it. 

She liked it so much that she couldn't stop thinking about the feeling. The feeling of Lapis touch on her waist, or the feeling of Lapis' breath against the surface of her ear. And don't even get her started on the feeling of having Lapis' lips on her neck... 

"Hey, are you okay?" 

Peridot snapped out, and looked up at her. They continued to walk, and stopped by the lockers near the classroom of their destination. 

"Peridot, why are you apologizing?" Lapis paused, dreading the next thing she was about to ask. "Did you hate it?" 

"What, no! Of course not." Peridot replied quickly, trying to make their conversation even less tense than it already was. 

"Lapis, you were my first kiss. To be honest, I would have never expected out of all people, it would be you." 

The blue haired girl bit her lip nervously, waiting for Peridot to continue. But she didn’t know if this whole situation was going pretty well. After all, it was just last week that they were giving each other nasty stares, and then now they're having a pretty tame conversation. And by the looks of their history since fifth grade, she wouldn’t be surprised if Peridot hated how she lost her first kiss to her. 

"But, I liked it." 

Lapis immediately stared in shock at what the blonde had revealed. 

"Like, it was unexpected, but it felt...good." 

"It did, my mind wouldn't let it go." Lapis formed a small grin of satisfaction on her face, happy that Peridot felt the same way. And for sure, relieved that the shorter girl didn't hate it. 

Peridot let out a small chuckle. "I thought you probably forgot about it." 

"Why?" 

"Lapis, we don't exactly get along. My first thought was you did all that just to make fun of me." 

The taller girl inched a bit closer to her, as blue eyes collided with green ones. "Peridot, all those touches, they were real. Especially all the things I whispered in you ear." 

Peridot couldn’t formulate a sentence then and there; she was preoccupied with how intense the shade of blue Lapis had in her eyes. They were still blue, but bright-- not as dark as it usually was anymore. It was like her eyes always changed color whenever her emotions were different. 

"And speaking of, you still haven't answered my question. Do you really think you could just kiss me, and leave me hanging?" 

The blonde raised a brow. "What are you talking about?" 

"Wow! You forgot, didn't you?" 

"About what?" 

Lapis crossed her arms, pretending that she was upset. "About being my date to homecoming? Seriously?" 

"Oh....oh!" She wasn't gonna lie, that little detail did slip out of her brain. "Well in all fairness Lazuli, you did ask me that question inside of a bathroom. That doesn’t really qualify as something grand and memorable." 

"Are you saying you want me to do something romantic?" 

"A girl can dream." 

"Damn, it didn’t strike me at all that you were a romcom type of girl." 

"See? Why do you even waste your time asking me to homecoming, when you don't even know a single thing about me." 

And with this statement, Lapis inched closer, leaving no space between them whatsoever. She smirked at the girl she towered over, caressing her cheek. 

"I want to, though."

* * *

"Oh my god did you see them?" 

"Yes girl! Practically everyone in the second floor saw!" 

"They actually look cute together though." 

"DAMN I DON'T THINK ANYONE EVEN SAW THIS COMING. SHIT I SHIP IT!" 

Amethyst had no idea why the people sitting in front of her were being extra noisy today. As the months passed since the first day of school, she learned to tolerate them and this class in general. 

She did not get along with science at all, especially chemistry. But for some reason, she did very well in her science classes for the past three years, that her teachers wanted her to be in the AP Chemistry class during her senior year. 

Chemistry for her was the simplest of all natural sciences, but she wasn't interested. 

It was too boring. 

The only thing that motivated her to actually be awake in the class was Pearl. 

The two close friends shared the same class together, and were more than happy to sit next to each other and become lab partners. 

Being the nerd she is, Pearl pretty much loved every single bit of the class. Amethyst had no idea how the girl could balance out taking two advanced science classes such as AP Chemistry and AP Physics B, plus all her other classes, while playing a sport at the same time. 

That just felt like torture to the short brunette, and she couldn't begin to imagine all the work load Pearl had to deal with. 

And speaking of the girl of her dreams, Pearl had just arrived and hurriedly sat at the chair next to Amethyst. It was obvious that she had something to tell her. 

"Amethyst, did you hear? People can't seem to stop talking about Peridot and Lapis on my way here." 

"Ugh, what did those two dorks do now?" 

She twirled strands of her purple streaked hair, wondering if Peridot came through with the plan of having a decent conversation with Lapis. Although, as far as everyone in this school knows, those two never had a decent conversation in their entire academic career. 

It even shocked Amethyst when Peridot told her about the whole bathroom thing last Friday. Like yeah, she totally could see that beneath her best friend's salty attitude, is her complete admiration for Lapis. 

Amethyst had no doubts that Peri and Lapis' relationship would blossom into something beautiful. Not now, but maybe in college or someplace where they would meet each other again, like one of those totally sappy, yet totally cute romantic comedies. 

But damn, the kiss scene happened right before the exposition of their love story. 

It confused her, but she wasn't complaining. Hopefully Peridot completely kept her cool, and the two had an amazing conversation—resulting in them making out in the hallway. 

OR 

One of the two snapped, and they ended up killing one another. 

"Well, this one guy said that they were very intimate. In fact, he described them having an intense, yet very soft conversation." Pearl replied, opening her satchel to get her calculator, pencil, and notebook ready for class. 

This immediately sparked Amethyst's interest, sitting straight up, interested in hearing more. 

DAMN RIGHT HER BEST FRIEND CAME THROUGH! 

"OMG y'all saw that too?!" One of the girls in front of them did a complete 180, and almost broke her neck in the process. 

But she didn't seem like she was hurt at all. Amethyst's eyes widened, and Pearl stopped what she was doing. In fact, her mouth kept moving as she was going on and on about her gossip. 

The two eyed each other with concern, hoping that they didn’t have to take this girl to the nurse later. 

Suddenly, a strong stench of weed took all of their attention away—including the girl with the flexible neck. 

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Aquamarine had just come into the room, and sat in her assigned seat next to Amethyst. 

Everyone in close proximity to the girl had their noses scrunched up, trying to avoid the smell. 

Aquamarine's light blue eyes were squinted, but obviously they were a little red, and Amethyst suspected this girl had just smoked maybe three blunts before coming to class. 

Not that she had any problem with that, it was entertaining. It's just so obvious, but none of the teachers at school actually notices, which is a pretty great streak of luck for Aquamarine's part. 

"What are you looking at?" Aquamarine's British accent echoed in the brunette's ears, and she swore she could just listen to her talk all day. 

Amethyst remembered the time she first met Aquamarine. She was a new student when they were in 7th grade. She had just moved from the UK to the United States at the time, and as expected, everyone was so intrigued when they heard where she was from. 

She was a short girl, maybe 4'11". But despite her frame, she was nothing near to fragile. She was very sarcastic, blunt, and when anyone tried to piss her off by asking her about tea and crumpets one more time, they would get beaten badly. 

Despite all that though, she's still very social, playful, and maybe even flirty—especially when she was high as a kite. 

"Aquamarine, have you ever considered putting some perfume on?" 

"Oh please, why don't you just embrace the scent of nature and oneness, Amethyst?" 

"Maybe because we want to concentrate in class?" Pearl interjected their conversation, mildly annoyed that this has been the third week Aquamarine had filled the room with the stench. 

"I swear, it's as if you two are keeping a close watch on me." The girl raised a brow, and smirked playfully. "I know you both secretly want me, come on, just say it." 

Both Amethyst and Pearl rolled their eyes at the comment. 

"Why are you even here, when your mind is _clearly_ intoxicated?!" Pearl continued, trying to force her mind to get used to this whole scenario. 

"Pearl, you should know that this is Chemistry class... _Chemistry_. There's a possibility that I might be able to make my own pot someday, so why not smoke some weed to set the mood?" 

Pearl stared back, completely unamused. 

"And while we're at it, why don't I also set the mood for us three? We've clearly got some chemistry going on. You are both hot and so am I, so it's a win win situation." 

"Jesus Christ, Aquamarine." Amethyst commented, and turned her head towards their teacher, who was about to start teaching. 

Aquamarine sat back with a sloppy smile, and closed her eyes. "That's what she said."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO yeah it's Aquamarine!
> 
> Don't worry though, in this story she's a senior, and she's the same age as the others are... aka 18!
> 
> Thank you again for reading, I really appreciate it!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the struggles of asking a crush out...

Two weeks have passed, and the month of September has finally come to a close. Homecoming was just around the corner, when the calendar hit October. 

The event was in four weeks, and neither Steven nor Amethyst had started their ends of the deal. They had no idea how to even start a conversation with their crushes on the topic of the homecoming dance. 

Steven had been thinking of numerous possibilities for a romantic, yet simple homecoming proposal for Connie. 

Connie was the type of girl who liked strolls and picnics, so the boy figured he could whip up a few sandwiches, while he took her to a classic picnic on the park. The girl didn't really have any sandwich preference; whether it was peach, plum, or strawberry, any kind was great for her. 

Another idea Steven came up with was to make and compose a song for her, and sing it with his guitar. Connie really loved music, so that could be a good one. 

But then again, he was just asking her to homecoming. It would be a bit too overboard if he pushed through with the song plan. 

He could make a sign and buy her favorite flowers, but once again, this was homecoming. Not prom. 

Steven lied down in bed, exhaling a breath of exasperation. He had no idea it would be this hard to actually impress and ask Connie to a school dance. Sure, they went together last year, but that was more so because Connie had to be there to make sure everything was okay, and he was there to help her out whenever something went wrong. 

This time, he really wanted to show her that he cared for her. Not just in a friendly type of way, but something more. 

A sudden knock on the door distracted him from his thoughts, and he sat up from his bed. 

"Come in." 

The door opened softly, and his dad, Greg Universe, appeared on the doorway. 

"Hey there, Shtoo-ball," Greg greeted, happy to see his son all relaxed from a long day at school. "I ordered pizza for our movie night! And since I picked last week, you can pick the movie this time." 

Steven gave him a weak smile, and with this action, Greg knew something was wrong. 

"You okay, son?" 

"Dad, have you ever asked someone to a school dance?" 

"Yeah, but that was wayyyy back when I still had a lot of hair left on my head." Greg lightened a bit of the mood, since bald jokes usually lifted Steven's spirits up. But this time though, it sort of didn't work too much. 

"How did you even do that without being scared?" 

"Of course I was scared, Steven. But I figured, it would kill me not to know what would've happened if I didn't." 

The thought left the boy thinking, resulting in a moment of silence between father and son. Although parts of him didn’t want to push through with the plan with the fear of rejection, another part of him wanted to know what the outcome would be. Whether negative, or positive. 

"Who's the lucky girl?" 

"Connie." 

Greg patted his son's back excitedly, knowing well that his son had a crush on Connie for a long time now. 

"That's great, Steven! Connie is an amazing lady, and she definitely cares about you. I don't know why you're so worried." 

"I feel like she's not gonna get that I want to be more than friends." 

"Steven I know it's hard, but just try. It's better to live a life full of 'oh wells', than a life full of 'what ifs'. Trust me, trying goes a really long way." 

Steven knew his dad was right. It was going to be a now or never type of situation, and the more this question was going to drag out, the more it was going to kill him. 

"Okay, I'll do it." The boy sighed, and finally decided what his official plan was. 

Just stick to plain and simple.

* * *

Amethyst was currently at Barnes and Noble, studying for an upcoming Chemistry test on Monday. Trust her when she says she was trying hard to concentrate, but with Pearl right beside her, it was a challenge. 

Like, advanced level player challenge. 

And to make things worse, she had been thinking to finally ask the most anticipated question that had been bothering her for weeks. 

"So for Molarity, we have to find the atomic mass first, and add all the values for the atoms to get the total grams per mole. But okay for the specific mass though, do we multiply or divide it with the sample size?" Pearl reviewed the notes she took, making sure if what she had was right. 

Amethyst was usually attentive during class, even if it was so tempting to fall asleep. She still needed to have a good grade to graduate, so that led her to knowing what was about to happen next to the formula. 

"You gotta divide the grams per mole into the sample size." 

"I'm definitely putting that down on my notes, Amethyst. For some reason, I always seem to double think that one." The taller girl carefully wrote on her notebook at the part where Molarity was in. She boxed it, and underlined the word _divide_ twice. 

At this moment, the shorter girl could not stop staring at Pearl. 

Everything that the girl did blew Amethyst's breath away; it didn't matter what her actions were. From jotting down on her notebook, to the little frown she managed to display on her face when she was concentrating. 

She had the power to turn simple things into something complex, yet beautiful and with purpose. 

"I think we're ready for this test," Pearl looked up from her notebook to Amethyst's sweet chocolate eyes. "Is there anything else you think that we should touch on?" 

_Yes, homecoming._

But Amethyst had to bite her tongue, and figured this wasn't the time to talk about that.

* * *

9:15 pm. 

Movie night had just ended for the Universes, and Greg decided to head upstairs to his room and settle for the night. As for the younger Universe, he had other plans. 

Steven took out his phone from the pocket of his joggers, and dialed a certain special someone's number. 

Connie's cheery voice answered, completely taking his breath away. "Hey Steven!" 

"Hey Connie! I hope I'm not bothering you, are you busy?" 

"No, not at all. I'm just reading a chapter from Dorian Gray to help me with my book report." On the other line, Connie put her novel down, and bookmarked the page she left off with. She'd rather talk to Steven, than endure another page of Dorian glorifying the tragedy of his ex-lover. And not to mention, all the unnecessary scenes bored the heck out of her, that she almost fell asleep while reading—which has never happened to her once! 

"Why, what's up?" 

"Do you wanna drive out with me tonight?" Steven had no idea he was holding on to a breath of air. This only meant, that his nerves were starting to form and move around his body.

Connie paused, curious with his request. There was really only one reason why he would ask her to go with him for a drive out: he had something important to tell her.

"Of course. Is everything okay?" 

"Yeah, I'll be at your place in ten." 

_Ten minutes later..._

From her window, Connie spotted a light pink Volkswagen Type 2 van arrive outside of her house. She hurriedly ran downstairs, and bid her parents goodbye. 

Normally, she wasn't allowed to even go out this late at night, but since she told them she was going to be with Steven, they let her. The curly haired boy has been her friend for such a long time, that even her parents liked him, and thought he was a great influence on her. 

He also showed them along the way that he would take care of their daughter, and that was an added bonus! 

"You two be careful, Connie." Mr. Maheswaran said, before opening the door for his daughter. 

"And tell Steven we send him our regards!" Dr. Maheswaran added, as she gave her daughter a goodbye hug. 

And with a smile, Connie went outside and headed towards the van. 

"Hey Steven!" She greeted, as she opened the door of the spacious passenger seat. 

The Volkswagen belonged to Steven's dad, but he would always let his son drive it whenever he needed to. 

It was clearly a vintage car, since Greg had it since he was a teenager. But he managed to fix it up through the years, and made it into something he actually customized. All of the seats were updated into brand new tan colored leather, with a huge compartment holding long play records and CDs, separating the driver and the passenger seats.  
The back was once a couple of bland seats, sitting back, facing the front. But Greg replaced all of that into a mini living space. Two singular seats were placed next to each other, while there was a long seat across. In between was a table where passengers could eat some food, drink beverages, or just talk while anticipating for the destination. 

Steven had called it the perfect getaway vehicle; anyone who wanted to travel the open road, whether to run away or explore, could use this van and never look back. 

"Thanks for coming with me on such short notice, Connie." The boy started to drive to a particular destination that they both have been to. 

In fact, everything that Steven had mentally prepared himself to say, was going to be done at a comfortable place they've been going to since junior year.

* * *

Peridot has been lying on her bed, with a phone in hand ever since she got home from school. 

It has always been like this, ever since she started to spend time with Lapis two weeks ago. They would hang at school, with Lapis constantly walking her to every class she had. There were even times when the two would almost be late for their classes, because none of them had the courage to say goodbye first. Then there were the nights when they constantly texted, getting to know each other better. 

The blonde has never felt so happy and giddy her whole life, especially the sweet kisses they shared from time to time. She had never felt anything like this before, and she wondered if this is what it's like to be in a relationship with someone she genuinely liked. 

Well actually, they weren't in a relationship yet, but obviously the flirting and the touching had gone too far from friendly. 

But still, there wasn't that title of 'girlfriend', and Peridot figured that was the only thing left to make it official. Plus, Lapis hasn't even taken her out on a date yet... 

Which left her thinking, if she should ask the girl herself? Not that Peridot was shy, but she just didn’t know how to incorporate it in their conversations. 

And there was also that fear of rejection. 

What if this was all just a game to the taller girl? What if she was just trying to get something from her? 

Truth be told, Peridot still had her doubts as to why Lapis even liked her. It just seemed so...out of place with their situation. It still wondered her how the softball player suddenly became likable, when back then she couldn't even stand looking at her. 

It just felt weird. 

She brushed all of her thoughts aside, when her phone vibrated to a message from the girl she had been constantly thinking about. 

**Lapis:** hey there cutie ;)

Upon reading her text, the blonde immediately felt her cheeks heat up. It's crazy for her to think, that a simple phrase could make her body react so much. 

**Peridot:** hi :)

**Lapis:** what chu been up to? 

Peridot had to decide if she were to be honest about her thoughts, or just continue the conversation casually. 

**Peridot:** oh nothing, just lying in bed. 

**Lapis:** you want me to come over and tuck you in, sweetie? 

**Peridot:** shut up. 

**Lapis:** well, what if I cuddled with you instead? 

**Peridot:** LOL 

**Lapis:** I didn't see a no 

**Peridot:** don't worry, you'll hear that from my dad. 

**Lapis:** does coach let you date? 

**Peridot:** he does, but he has this rule. 

**Lapis:** what 

**Peridot:** I'm not allowed to date any of the players on the softball team. 

**Lapis:** …  
**Lapis:** are you serious

**Peridot:** very 

**Lapis:** why 

**Peridot:** idk and I have no idea why you're getting so worked up, we're not even dating. 

Yup, the blonde went there. She suddenly regretted it, and wished there was an unsend button available. 

**Lapis:** would he change his mind if I asked for his permission? 

Peridot paused after reading Lapis' reply. Wait, was she going to ask her dad if she could date her? Did Lapis actually _want_ to date her? Was she really serious this whole time? 

**Peridot:** wait, for what 

**Lapis:** to take you out on a date and to date you. I thought that was pretty obvious? 

**Peridot:** I mean, why not ask me first? 

After a few minutes of Lapis not replying to Peridot's last text, the artist figured she probably didn't care. She was about to put her phone on the bedside table, when suddenly it rang loudly, showing Lapis' caller ID. 

"What?" Peridot answered, curious and annoyed at the same time. What did Lapis want now... 

"Peridot, will you go on a date with me?" The softball player asked on the other line, seriousness in her tone. 

"You could've just texted me." 

"You said you wanted me to ask. I figured you meant, ask you with my actual voice." Lapis explained, and continued. "Soooo, will ya?" 

Peridot shrugged, unknowing to Lapis. "I guess." 

"That's not very convincing." 

"Fine, I'll go." 

"Hmm, still not convincing." 

Peridot rolled her eyes, "YES! I'LL GO ON A DATE WITH YOU!!!" 

"See?" She couldn't see it, but for sure Lapis had that smirk displayed on her face at this very moment. "It's not that hard to answer in a complete sentence. And to think you got the award for being the best in English last year... I should've won that." 

"Well you didn't, so stop being such a sore loser." 

"ANYWAYS." Lapis cleared her throat, intervening Peridot's statement. "I'll pick you up at 4:30 pm. Now, go to sleep, baby. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow." 

She rolled her green eyes again, but this time she couldn't stop grinning. The way Lapis calls her _baby_ , just does things to her. But of course, she would never admit that. 

"Night, Lazuli." 

"Really?" 

"What?" 

"No 'goodnight, sweet dreams, can't wait to see you tomorrow, babe', at all?" 

Peridot groaned, "You're asking for too much, Lapis." 

"Fine, fine. Well, goodnight, dork."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all!
> 
> I apologize for a late update, so to make it up to you, there will be two chapters uploaded today. Chapter 6 and 7.  
> It's sort of like a continuation of each other, so I figured might as well put it out together :)
> 
> And THANK YOU SO MUCH for your support of this fanfic! I really appreciate all the feedback and the comments y'all leave me :)) Like I've never expected anyone to even read this... Thank you so much, I can't stress that enough.

The Volkswagen, along with two other cars were the only ones parked inside of O.P. Schnabel Park. This was the park Steven and Connie discovered, when they were looking for a picnic place close to their high school. It was a very huge, beautiful park. There were so many trails, that people could either run, jog, bike, or walk while appreciating nature. 

This was considered as their secret place, even if it was popular amongst people in that side of town. 

The park closed at 11 pm, so that gave Steven about maybe an hour and ten minutes to ask Connie to homecoming. 

The two walked side by side, not saying a word to each other. 

They reached the family and picnic area, and sat down on a bench beneath a tall park light. 

The park lights and their gleams served as the only source of sound between the two, and Connie was starting to worry about her best friend. 

"Steven, are you okay?" 

"Y-yes I am." Steven stuttered, and this was sign number one that he wasn't. 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yup!" 

Connie raised a brow, and Steven could see the brown eyes beneath her glasses, that she wasn't impressed with his answer. 

"Steven..." 

"Willyougotohomecomingwithme." 

The boy said that so fast, that she could not comprehend what he was saying. 

"What?" Connie asked, trying to get him to slow down with his words. 

Not knowing what to do, since his words didn't help, Steven decided to ask Connie with the power of music. He took out his phone, looked through his song library, and found the perfect song that represented his feelings. 

He pressed play and stood up, offering a hand to Connie. 

"Will you dance with me?" 

Connie stared back, a blush forming on her cheeks. She nodded, and grabbed his hand—the familiar touch she held was the only thing she could focus on. She had no idea what was going on, but her trust in Steven was bigger than any doubt. 

As they started to sway, their hands intertwined together; his other hand on her waist, and her other hand on his shoulder, it felt surreal—natural. 

It was as if they fit perfectly together like this. 

The music played throughout the silence, and Connie listened closely to the lyrics. 

_I can see the sunset in your eyes_  
_Brown and grey, blue besides_  
_Clouds are stalking islands in the sun_  
_I wish I could buy one out of season_  
_But don't hesitate,_  
_'cause your love won't wait, just won't wait_

"I like this song a lot, Steven." She said quietly, as she rested her head on his shoulder. 

And despite the softness in her voice, Steven heard every word that came out from her lips. The moment was calm, intimate, and comforting. His nerves had finally subdued, and for the first time that night, the sincerity of his smile finally came back. 

_Oh baby I love your way, everyday_  
_I wanna tell you I love your way_  
_I wanna be with you night and day_

"I like you." 

Upon hearing those words, Connie immediately looked at Steven, his brown eyes looking right back at hers. Her mouth was slightly opened, taking in his confession. She was surprised, but she wasn't upset. 

After all, she felt the same way. 

"Steven--" 

"And I want to be your date to homecoming, Connie. I want to show you how much you mean to me, and I want to be able to dance with you just like this all the time, because you're the most amazing girl in the world." The words finally came out from his system, and he hoped it was good enough. 

Not enough words in the dictionary could ever begin to describe what he felt for her, and how perfect she was. 

"I... I actually feel the same way, Steven." She bit her lip nervously, quite happy that her long time crush liked her as well. 

If Connie had to lay down the timeline of her crush on Steven, it would have started on their sophomore year. They were text buddies at the time, and his personality and charms really caught her attention. 

Then when they started to go on adventures during their junior year, that's when her feelings really flew. She had dropped some hints that she liked him, but Steven has never noticed, so she thought he only saw her as a close friend. 

Steven's eyes grew wide, as he heard Connie's response. "R-r-really?" 

"Yes." She smiled at him, as she gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "I always had, but I thought you didn't reciprocate, so I just left it alone." 

The boy was speechless, and suddenly laughed at his own obliviousness. 

_Peridot was right all along._

Connie stared, and wondered why he was laughing. But soon enough, she started to laugh with him too. 

It was a night they will both remember.

* * *

Peridot did not want to sacrifice her weekend sleep schedule like this, but she knew she had to. She needed to join her parents for breakfast, and tell them about her activities this  
afternoon... 

For a fact the blonde expected faces of shock and horror, due to her not telling them about her whole thing going on with Lapis lately. Her mom would probably be a bit bewildered, since Peridot had always ranted about the blue haired girl to her. But maybe after a few seconds, wouldn't even question anything, since she knew her daughter had always been one to keep changing her mind on things. Peridot wasn't really worried about her mom, but her dad was a different story. 

He witnessed firsthand how intense her and Lapis' arguments were, that sometimes he was the one who had to break it up. There were also times when she came crying after school, and the reason would always be about how mean or inconsiderate Lapis was. So as her father, he always took her side, and maybe even developed a sense of annoyance towards his batter. But as a coach, he had to cover it up and act like she didn't do anything wrong towards his daughter. Although, he would be a bit harsher with Lapis during warm ups, compared to the other players. 

And then there was this strange rule he told to her, when she entered high school for the first time... 

She wasn't allowed to date anyone on the softball team. She had no idea why, nor did she get an explanation, but he just told her it was for the best. It didn’t bother her at that time, but now that she was actually considering to date someone from there, she wanted to know what his reasons were. 

Maybe she'll get an answer this morning... 

When she headed downstairs, the scent of scrambled eggs and toast surrounded her olfactory senses, and calmed her nerves a bit. 

As she arrived in the kitchen, as expected, her parents were there. Her mom saw her first, and raised a brow as she saw Peridot come in. 

"Your daughter's up early," she said to her husband, as he turned to see her. "You're actually joining us for breakfast?" 

"What a surprise, she's usually asleep till 1 p.m." Her dad joked, even though there was some truth to it. 

"It's too early for y'alls jokes." Peridot frowned, and grabbed a slice of toast from the kitchen's island table. 

"Well, we're glad you're here. Did you want some bacon with your eggs, dear?" Her mom's soothing voice asked, and Peridot couldn't be happier to hear her options. 

"Yes please!" 

"Why are you up so early, Peri?" Her dad wondered, since every time he tried to wake her up for breakfast, he would always get a loud hiss from her as a reply. 

"I... well.... I wanted to tell y'all that," The blonde had no idea it was this hard to tell her parents about her date. She thought food was going to calm her down (like always), but now it wasn't working. 

"… I have a date, this afternoon." 

It was as if time stopped, because the kitchen suddenly became quiet, and everyone just dropped what they were doing. Her father stopped chewing his food, while her mom dropped the pack of bacon from the fridge she was about to open and cook. 

"What?!" Her parents chorused, finally breaking the terrible silence. 

"Okay, okay, I can explain." Peridot held her hands up, getting their attention—which worked, because their eyes burningly stared right at her. 

"I've been talking to this girl for a while, and she asked me so I said yes." 

"What do you mean you've been talking for a _while_ ? How long have y'all been talking?!" Her mom asked while placing her hands on her hips. She was sort of disappointed that her daughter didn't even share that to her, when they've been sharing secrets their whole lives. 

"And who is this girl you've been talking to?!" Her dad crossed his arms, impatiently waiting for a reply. 

But before Peridot could give him an answer, the doorbell rang. 

It was probably the best time to say, she was saved by the bell. 

"Don’t think this conversation is over, missy." Her dad eyed her with his dark brown eyes before heading to the door. 

When he was gone, she quickly turned to her mom. "Why are y'all mad at me?" 

"We're not mad at you, Peri. We're just a bit...shocked that you haven't told us sooner. You know we would be supportive, no matter what." 

"Well, there's a reason why I waited for a bit, mom." The young blonde sighed, and decided to break the news to her mom first. "The girl I'm talking to is--" 

_"Lapis! Good mornin' to you too. What brings you here?"_

Peridot had to stop talking, when she overheard her father's voice. 

_Did he just say, the word, Lapis? Pfft, nah that's impossible!_

She probably just thought she heard that name, because that was the next word that was about to come out from her mouth. 

Duh, psychology! 

_"You wanna ask permission? For what?"_

The green eyed girl heard his voice again, and was getting a bit worried at this point. 

_Holy crap, did Lapis come to her house, early in the morning, to actually ask her dad permission to date her?! She can't be that stupid! No, no, you're overreacting Peridot, ha it's not Lapis, it's probably one of the neighbors asking to borrow some salt or something...yeah._

"Peridot, are you okay?" Her mom spoke, wondering why her daughter just stopped talking. Not to mention, she looked as if she was about to pass out for some reason. 

"Y-y-yeah..." 

"PERIDOOOOOOOOOT!!! LIVING ROOM, NOW!" 

_oh shit..._

This was definitely one of the most awkward things to have happened to her. She ended up having to sit next to Lapis on the couch, while both of her parents stood in front of them by the fire place. 

It felt like an interrogation, for clod's sake! And it was so embarrassing... 

"So, Lapis here tells me she wants to date you." Her father started, looking at the blonde first, then the blue haired girl next. "Is she your date this afternoon, Peridot?" 

"Y-yes, sir." 

"But you two hate each other." 

"Stuff happened, dad." Upon hearing herself say that, Peridot covered her mouth with her own hand. Now that gives her father even more reason to question everything! 

The Coach turned to his wife, as their eyes both widened at the statement. 

"What do you mean, _stuff_ ?" 

Lapis replied for the two of them, "Uhm Coach, what Peridot is trying to say is, we've worked out our differences, and have developed feelings for one another in the process." 

Peridot gulped, and thanked the stars that Lapis covered that up quick. 

"For a fact, Lapis, I've seen my daughter cry and got her feelings hurt all because of you. Do you really think I wanna see her go through that, again?" He frowned at the softball player, with no care in the world that he was her Coach. He wanted to protect his daughter from a future heartbreak, that he predicted will eventually happen. 

He was a teenager once; he knows how painful that would be. 

"Dad, please! It's not even her fault. I'm the one who gets competitive all the time," The younger blonde tried to reason, but turned to her mother instead. "Mom, can you please tell dad to be a little considerate?" 

The older blonde still had her arms crossed, quietly observing if what they had was sincere. It just seemed strange to her that of all the people Peridot wanted to be with, it had to be her academic competitor since elementary days. 

She didn't have a problem with Lapis; the girl after all was very hardworking with school, she kept her priorities straight, and was respectful enough to actually ask permission to date her daughter. 

It just bothered her how these two used to hate each other, then all of a sudden became friends... 

More than friends... 

"I know what I did in the past, and I really regret it." Lapis started, nervously brushing her hair back, hoping they would listen. "I'm really sorry for hurting Peridot, and for having to let you see her go through all of that. But I promise this time, it's different. I adore her a lot, and if you would just give me a chance, I can show her the best side of me. I'm never gonna hurt her again, ever." 

After that, Peridot's mom sighed and turned to her husband. "Can we talk for a bit, in the kitchen?" 

He agreed, and they excused themselves from the two girls. 

"Did... did you mean that?" Peridot didn't know why, but she felt tears starting to form in her eyes, due to Lapis' impromptu. 

It was the most heartfelt, sincere, and sweetest thing she has ever heard. It had ten times the impact, especially when it came from the girl she had feelings for. 

She wanted to kiss the taller girl at that moment, but she knew that wasn't a good idea with her parents around. 

"Of course I did." Lapis smiled at her, the soft one that the blonde loved seeing on her face. 

"I can't believe you came to my house." 

"I told you I'd do it, didn't I?" The taller girl reached out with her hand, and touched Peridot's cheek. "And I thought you were still asleep. You said you usually wake up late during the weekends?" 

"Yeah, but I wanted to tell them about our date today. And now, here we are." 

"Haha, yeah here we are." 

Peridot's parents finally came out of the kitchen, and they immediately straightened themselves up on the couch. 

"So your father and I talked about it, and we decided to give you two love birds a chance to happen." Her mom announced, a grin crept up on her lips. 

Lapis and Peridot looked at each other, totally excited about the news. 

"Oh my stars!!!" The short blonde stood up, and gave her parents a tight hug. Their approval meant the world to her, and this day couldn't get any better. 

"Thank you so much Mrs. Olivine," Lapis stood up as well, her expression clearly showing how relived she was. "And thank you, Coach." 

Peridot's dad nodded, and finally gave her a genuine smile that marked his approval. "You take good care of her, Lazuli. Or else..." 

"You can count on me, Coach."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song for this chapter that Steven used is called Baby I Love Your Way - Big Mountain (I really like this version)
> 
> Once again, thank you so much for reading!
> 
> Don't hesitate to leave feedback, especially when you find something wrong or incorrect. I'd be happy to learn!
> 
> Oh, and don't forget, Chapter 7 is up now too!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DATE DATE DATE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!!
> 
> Welcome to chapter 7, the continuation of Chapter 6!
> 
> Hope you guys like it. I know this story is going a little slow, but don't worry the next chapters will speed up the story.
> 
> Oh, and while I was writing this chapter, I kept listening to a song called Squeeze, by Fifth Harmony. As you can tell, a little part of this story was inspired by that :)
> 
> Enjoy!

Time passed, and it was already 4:25 pm. 

Peridot was starting to get nervous for her first date ever, and she had no idea how to act. She didn't even know what to wear, that it took her the whole day to think of an outfit. 

She checked the forecast on her phone, and it seemed pretty warm. 

It was about 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which she wasn't complaining, because during the summer it was always around 98 to a hundred degrees outside. 

Fall has definitely arrived, since later that night, it was going to be on the low 60s. 

She usually got cold easily, so she decided to put an oversized windbreaker over her outfit. It was one of those lucky finds at a thrift shop, with bright 90s colors that she sort of liked looking at. She mainly just wore a plain white shirt (due to the loud colors on her jacket), and tucked it inside of her high waisted, baggy jeans. She honestly had no idea what to do with her hair, so she just fixed it into her usual messy bun. She was debating if she should watch some hairstyle tutorials on YouTube, but she figured she would just mess up. 

And there it was, the most anticipated doorbell ring of the century. 

Peridot rushed to her bedroom's window, and spotted Lapis' blue Jeep parked outside—looking slick and clean. She used to hate the sight of that vehicle in the school parking lot, but now she cherished everything about it, especially since it reflected a bit of the softball player in it. 

"Peri, Lapis is here!" She heard her mom's voice from downstairs. 

The blonde immediately grabbed her wallet, phone, keys, her pair of low top Converse shoes, and hurriedly went downstairs. 

When she was about to descend down the steps, she saw Lapis waiting for her at the bottom. And holy clod queen of all clods, it felt like a scene out of a movie. 

Lapis looked amazing wearing a denim jacket, a black crop top, gray skinny jeans, and some white athletic shoes that seemed to be comfortable. Her hair was messy as usual, but she still managed to look like she came straight out of a magazine. 

"I like your socks." The same girl she was admiring spoke, and giggled. 

Peridot was completely unaware that she was wearing bright green socks with pink strawberries on it. She still had her shoes in her hands, and compared to her date, she stuck out as a complete contrast with all the bright colors on her outfit. 

"Wow, thanks." She rolled her eyes in response, as she reached the bottom step of the stairs and sat down to put on her shoes. 

"You look gorgeous, by the way." Lapis winked, unaware it sparked a blush on the blonde's face. 

"You two be careful," Peridot's mom said as the girls were ready to head out. 

Suddenly her dad came out of nowhere, and stood sternly next to his wife. 

"Lapis, I take it that I can trust you to take good care of my daughter?" 

"I give you my word, Coach." 

"She's our pride and joy; if anything ever happens to her, I swear to God--" 

"DAD," Peridot glared at him before he was about to say something extreme. He always had that habit of being a bit overdramatic... 

_And he says she was the dramatic one in the family..._

The blonde's mother probably got the message, and cleared her throat to catch his attention. She gave him a disapproving look, and he decided to just let it go. 

"I was just kidding," He finally smiled, and wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulder. "Y'all have fun tonight!"

* * *

It was the first time Peridot had ever been inside Lapis' Jeep, and she was very impressed. The four door vehicle had a fairly bulky interior, but it was obviously well maintained by its owner. There wasn't a single mess, unlike her Ford, which already had stacks of paper and textbooks on the floor. 

The Jeep also had a strong scent that she couldn't really decipher; a mix of rain, crisp sky, and the ocean. 

And the speakers were so crystal clear, that she felt like she was at a live concert or even a studio. The song that was currently playing had a funky beat to it, and she was curious as to who the artist and what the song was. 

"What are you listening to?" 

"Little of Your Love, by HAIM." 

"Who's HAIM?" 

Lapis turned to her attention from the road to the blonde, and Peridot felt as if she's killed someone. "You've never heard of HAIM??" 

"Uhm... is that bad?" 

"Uhhhm, yeah!" Lapis imitated the girl. "They're like, the best band to ever exist! They're three sisters that could potentially take over the world, due to the power of their music, and the impact of their lyrics! They're... they're..." 

The blue haired girl faced the road again, with a frown trying to think of the next words to say. 

"...they're amazing!" 

"Okay, calm down." The green eyed girl thought it was cute how passionate the softball player got when she talked about her favorite band. 

Actually, Peridot had no idea if they were Lapis' favorite, but with her instant reaction, it was a possible conclusion. 

They arrived at a place Peridot had no idea was. Well, she did have an idea they were somewhere in downtown San Antonio, due to the familiar areas, buildings, and the over-all artsy vibes. Lapis parked her Jeep in front of a façade that had the name _Halcyon_ , overlooking the San Antonio River. It looked like a decent sized coffee shop with a classic brick exterior. Above the sign, _BLUE STAR_ was painted on the building beside it. 

"Where are we?" 

"Welcome to Southtown," The softball player raised her arms, and did some jazz hands. "I think this is the art district, but I'm not sure. I just go to the coffee shop, I've never explored the other parts." 

Peridot's green orbs widened, as she recalled her art teacher talking about this place before! She mentioned that it had art galleries, restaurants, bars, and even a marketplace that showcased local art works and crafts. 

Now this was her kind of place. 

"Lapis, I can't believe you took me here! I've been wanting to come here, but I've never had the time!" The blonde clapped her hands excitedly, taking in everything around her.  
She wanted to go explore more, and see all the exhibits and the galleries, but her stomach was thinking of something else. 

"I guess I can see why you like it, considering you paint and all." She shrugged, and interlocked their hands together. "I don't know about you, but I wanna grab a bite first." 

Then to Peridot's surprise, Lapis reached down and bit her ear gently. 

"Lapis! Ewwww!" 

"Hmm, I'm pretty sure that night in the bathroom you were saying something else." 

"YOU NEED HOLY WATER." 

Lapis' smirk crept up on her face, and she whispered in the shorter girl's ear. "I need _your_ holy water." 

Peridot turned so red, as she hurriedly walked inside the coffee shop with a smug Lapis behind her. 

After hanging and eating at the café, the two girls decided to head over to the exhibits and the galleries with their iced coffee cups in hand. 

They went to the UTSA Exhibit first, and Peridot was in awe with all of the art work the college students made. 

There were times when she debated if she should be an art major, or pursue her plan of becoming an engineering major. 

Witnessing amazing pieces of art like these, made her consider taking up art. But she knew deep down, she really wanted to be an engineer—especially within the field of architecture. 

It was a good mixture of math, science, and art at the same time. 

With all that being said, she wanted to know what Lapis' major was going to be. 

"So, have you decided on a major for college?" 

"I kinda want to take up Nutrition," The softball player replied, "but at the same time, I also wanna be a psychologist." 

"That's great! You could always do a double major, if you really want to pursue a career in both." 

"True, but I don't think I can balance all those classes. Not to mention, softball will be a priority as well." 

"Lapis, you've been balancing classes, and extracurriculars in your whole academic career. You're really good at multi-tasking, from what I observed." Peridot explained, a-matter-of-factly. 

After the two headed out of the exhibit, they decided to walk around the arts complex. 

"Have you found a college you like?" Lapis asked, as they looked around, fascinated with how a small place could have so much going on. 

"I've been in love with UT ever since I was little." 

"Oh, that's Coach's alma mater, right?" 

Peridot smiled at the girl's need for confirmation. Of course everyone knew where her dad went to college, it's one of the things he was always proud to show off. "And my mom's." 

"That's so cute! That's where they probably met, huh." Lapis' blue eyes glimmered, and Peridot swore she just keeps loving her eyes more and more, each day. 

The blonde nodded. 

"What about you, have you decided on a college?" 

Lapis shook her head. "Nah, I'm still thinking. Oregon is definitely a top choice, but UCLA is a good one, and then there's Alabama." 

"So it seems that you're set on going out of state..." Upon hearing Lapis' top choices of universities, Peridot was a little bit disheartened that there wasn't a Texas school. 

Just thinking about how far apart they were going to be, felt like a stab on the chest. This whole thing they had barely just started, and in a few months they would potentially go their separate ways. Is this what high school romance was? Was it just for high school, not for anything beyond that? 

Ugh, what was her mind on... They weren't even together, why was she getting upset? 

Sensing Peridot's sudden change, Lapis decided to lighten her up. "Hey, can you promise me something?" 

The artist squinted at her suspiciously. 

"Promise me, that no matter what happens, we'll always support each other." She led their bodies to the side of a building in the complex, to pause and talk heart to heart. "Like I know we've always been the opposite of that, but college is a different playing field. I've been a bitch to you for so long... Let me make that up to you, by being your number one fan in everything you do." 

Damn, if Lapis said one more word, Peridot would start crying. She felt different types of emotions at the moment, from sadness, to a little bit of fear and then joy. She had never experienced anything like this, and she had never felt so much for a person. Lapis was someone she genuinely had feelings for, and she was lucky to even spend time, and get to know her despite their past. 

Without another thought, Peridot squeezed Lapis in a tight hug. "Fine, I promise." 

The taller girl embraced her back, and gave the shorter girl a kiss on the forehead. 

After a night of fun at Southtown and the Riverwalk, the girls decided to head home. While driving, Lapis' phone rang loudly, due to a phone call. 

"Can you see who's calling me?" She handed Peridot her phone, and she was surprised to see who the name was. 

"It's Aquamarine." 

"Oh, it's fine. I'll call her back, she knows I never answer my phone when I'm driving." 

"I forgot y'all were close." It was all throughout high school that Lapis and Aquamarine were known as the dynamic duo. They hung out, ate lunch together, and they were pretty much just like how her friendship with Amethyst and Steven was. 

"It's a long story how we became best friends. She was my weed supplier at first, but now we just bond over other stuff." 

"WEED SUPPLIER?!" Peridot was so shocked, that she almost sat up from the passenger seat. Thankfully, the seatbelt secured her. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, I just didn't know that about you, Lapis." 

"Ha ha, I'm just kidding! Jeez, I figured you were gonna freak out." The blue haired girl couldn't stop laughing. "I feel like that's what she's known for at school." 

"Well.... No offense, but she smokes that on the daily. Like even at the courtyard! I'm the one getting worried she's gonna get caught, while she's just chilling! Literally!" Peridot had to salute the girl for smoking weed in school grounds. She's always usually stoned, so she figured the teachers were probably used to it. And Aquamarine wasn't doing anything wrong, she's just minding her own business, while making it in the honor roll list at the same time. 

Maybe that's the reason why they let her off the hook. 

As they arrived outside of Peridot's house, Lapis turned off her vehicle, and they both sat in silence. 

"So," the blonde cleared her throat. "I guess this is it?" 

"For now. But you know I'll be texting you when I get home." Lapis winked, and reached out to give the passenger a kiss on the cheek. 

But instead, Peridot turned her head, and greeted the taller girl's lips with her own. Their kiss was so chaste, so sweet, that it left a tingle on her lips when Lapis parted first. 

"I want us to be a thing," Lapis rested her forehead against the blonde's. Peridot's beautiful green eyes were staring right back at her blue ones. It felt like the time when their eyes met at the parking lot a while back; soft and soothing—no hatred. "I want to be yours, and I want you to be mine." 

Peridot bit her lip, holding in the giddy smile that was about to form. "Then I guess it's time to make it official, Lazuli." 

Lapis kissed her again and asked, "Will you be my girlfriend?" 

"Yes!" And in that moment, Peridot had never felt happier, wishing it lasted forever.

* * *

Lapis finally got home, and went straight to her room. The house was quiet and empty, since both of her parents had to work overnight at the telemarketing company they owned. She didn't feel as lonely, since the thought of having Peridot as her girlfriend never left her brain. 

She had no idea how she even did it. 

The blonde was so breathtakingly gorgeous, with eyes that looked like a sea of emeralds. The little things and quirks she had were so adorable, she couldn’t help but smile at them. At times when she was nervous, she'd be unaware that she would be biting her lips, or when she was having a deep thought, a lonely dimple manages to show itself on her left cheek. 

Peridot was a girl with so much passion for creation, that sometimes she doesn’t even sleep at all, due to a project she would be working on. During those times, Lapis tried to stay awake in their long phone calls, but she somehow manages to fall asleep. She always felt bad, but the artist always forgave her. 

Peridot was extraordinary in every way. And Lapis had to question why someone like that, would want to be with someone like her. 

She was just...ordinary. 

Lapis brushed away her doubts, and sat on the floor beside her bed. 

Suddenly, her phone rang and Aquamarine's name was on it. 

Shit, she totally forgot to call her best friend back. 

"Hello?" 

"Finally! I've been calling you for hours!" It was clear that Aquamarine was completely sober, since she didn’t have that usual soft tone on her voice. 

"Correction, you called me once, and I was driving." 

"Oh, well then why didn't you say so. How was the date with your wifey?" 

Lapis rolled her eyes playfully at the tease. "It was great! We're finally official!" 

"Awww," Aquamarine cheered. "To be quite honest, it's about time. You've fancied her for a while, haven't you? What took you so long..." 

"Hush. Now, what do you want?" 

"Lapis, I was with Holly Blue a few hours ago, and we were high as fuck." 

That sentence did not surprise her at all. 

Holly Blue was one of those cool people that everyone hung out with. She was close with Aquamarine, since they've always smoked weed together, calling themselves the 'bake sale moms'. While For Lapis, Holly was mostly just a normal friend she'd go with to parties and social events. 

"And she lent me her phone to look at all the photos of her pet frog. He was such a cutie pie! Anyways, moving on, I accidentally clicked on a video with you in it..." 

Upon hearing about that, Lapis knew exactly what video she was talking about. Fear and anxiety had taken over her body, and she couldn't move. 

She couldn't respond, as horrid thoughts clouded her head. It had been a month ago, she had forgotten about it, and it never crossed her mind ever again. She should really tell Holly to delete it, before someone other than Aquamarine would see it. 

"Lapis, is it true or were you just--" 

"I... I'll explain everything on Monday."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DRAMA ALERT...

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all! Thank you so much for reading the first chapter. I've been feeling so inspired lately to write a Lapidot fic, so I guess I'll give it a try. Comments and critiques are very much appreciated! Even if it's like one word, that's still awesome sauce. So yeah, thanks again!


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